Friday, December 7, 2012

P.S. Have a Jelly Bean

This Christmas I'm having a little trouble finding my Christmas Spirit. The whole palaver of having to buy gifts for children who really need nothing when you look at the real world is making me feel a little railroaded. Do any of us need any thing just because of a date?

Then a couple of things happened in the last twenty four hours.

The big boys and the three grannas and I went to the Christmas concert to watch and laugh and shed a joyous tear for the seventh time. It never gets old. There is always one in tears, one with a finger in their nose, an extrovert, an introvert, a tap dancing Santa....How I love the Kindy Christmas concert. I'd forgotten.

Then I came home to some lovely surprises. These were gifts given not because there are eighteen shopping days left but because people are good and generous and sweet.

There was the give away package from beautiful Mel, of Bungalow Bliss, who lives just over the river and who I am going to meet one day to share coffee with and a playdate with the Short ones. Got that, Mel!

How is it that a hand addressed brown paper package in the mail can make you feel so excited?

Is it the thrill of the unknown something inside or the fact that somebody has connected with you from far away in a very personal and tactile way. Either way it was a lot of fun to slowly open this crafty little stash of goodies.

There was also a lovely gift from Anna at Shiny Happy Art which was a belated birthday present for the birthday I didn't want to celebrate. She had collected a little trove of treasures over the last months and delivered it here one night this week with wine and good pizza and great conversation. Isn't it lovely when a friend just knows you so well and nails it!

She threw in a delightful godmother painting for Shorty too which she adores because it is a princessy fairy and I adore because it is not pink .

Shorty loves it so much she has been carting her new friend around the house to watch Playschool and play teaparties. I wonder if she'll be okay about me hanging the friend on the wall?

The other gifts I get a small squeeze around my heart from are the little surprises my children sometimes leave around the house for me. Lala staggered in from a break up party at eight thirty last night after a big day at the swimming carnival. As I was enjoying a few wines with some lady friends out the back I asked her to come and say good night when she was ready. She never made it back but instead I found this when I went to bed. This bribe/ gift is indeed valuable as it is her "Guess the Number of J.B.'s" prize.

Twenty four hours of goodness may have just kick started a glimmer of the Christmas spirit.

17 comments:

What a lovely post. So true about giving children stuff they don't need. I have that dilemma every year too. I prefer to get them a few decent things rather than a whole lot of plastic from China which is really only what's on offer in the stores. I know you'll come up with something amazing for each of yours cause you're clever that way. Don't get too despondent. (I'd like to meet Mel and her children too.)

You know, I never thought about it but it's hard to imagine Christmas being at the beginning of summer. For me it's romantic images of gray skies, lightly falling snow, twinkling lights in the darkness, a cozy chair next to the fireplace; you know, chestnuts roasting on an open fire (which I never actually had). What are you warm, nostalgic images of the holiday?

Got it Annie! Just let me get through the peppa pig party next weekend and the christmas day palaver and you are on. So glad that you won this parcel and know exactly what you mean about a joy of a surprise pile of goodies. My inner grinch has already popped up when the kids opened every box of christmas decorations, strew them around my already messy lounge room then lost interest after hanging about 10 of 10000 items on the tree. Aaargh. mel x

Annie, your living love post spells out what Christmas means.I shed a tear or three.Dear Anna. Dear Mel.Dearest Shortpants -not crying, not picking her nose, not scratching an itch, but truly entering into the Christmas spirit designed for short people still filled with wonder.xo

I love your reply above Annie, your Christmas memories much like ours ... togs and towels, sunburnt shoulders, creaming soda softdrink, swimming and eating, prawns and rumballs ... all good. I've already given a grand lecture to all who'll listen about us having too much 'stuff' ... please don't give us any more 'stuff'. My little house can't hold much more 'stuff'.Enjoy your family, that Lala's a keeper.

I'm just beginning to feel much less anxious about Christmas as my kids are getting old enough to say, 'don't need anything really'; 'just this one thing'; or 'can we go somewhere special for my present'. I love your photos, presents and that note is prizeworthy!! I'm giggling now as I think about it. What a set of stars you all are - I'm so glad of blogland - I wouldn't know you otherwise and it does my heart so much good to think there are families like yours populating the world. Axxx